What Should I Be Doing ?

[derekpara]

What should I be doing in my small (8'x8') vegetable plot in the next few weeks ?

Cheers.

D

[quizbag]

Dig it over and leave it for the frost to break it up.

[jourdain2]

Echo quizbag. You only have to dig it roughly to turn it and let the frost do the rest (assuming we get frosts).

[Tilly2]

.....and then spend the rest of the winter looking at seed catalogues, in the warmth of your home. :-)

[derekpara]

Thanks, both. Sounds easy !

D

[Clanad]

Echoing what the others have suggested, I would also add, especially for you smaller garden, to cover the entire garden with a layer of heavy black plastic. We've used it for several years here in the U.S. and while not 100% effective in controlling early weed germination it does help significantly. Just layer it over the garden and hold the edges down with rocks, boards or other material to keep the wind from moving it.

An additional benefit is that the soil reaches the minimum temperature for plants and seed germination (about 50 degrees (F) here)much earlier.

When removed in the spring, we fold it and save it for the next year. It's inexpensive and you might Google "soil solarization" to see the discussions about clear vs. black plastic as well as other methods of achieving better control of weeds...

[Chipchopper]

A tip that was given to me by an old gardener, early on, to which I'l always be grateful is : "An hours hoeing in the Winter is worth 5 in the Summer"

[derekpara]

Thank you all for that great advice.

I've just covered the plot with compost, not dug in, from my heap. What, if, and when should I apply fertilizer/dressing for mainly root crops ?

Thanks again.

D